St Nicholas [serial] . e-boat. Ever1 e that awful hour and night, I have had a sincere respect for the science and art of swim-ming, in which, next to God, then rested all myhope and trust. But before we talk about fighting an under-towin a wicked sea-way, let us discuss the principlesand methods of swimming. To drown in ariver, with the shore only a few yards away, whenany dog or donkey would reach the land, mustinvolve a feeling of personal humiliation as wellas despair. To be self-trustworthy is the firstthing in moments of danger ; but the art of swim-ming has a high value in the saving of
St Nicholas [serial] . e-boat. Ever1 e that awful hour and night, I have had a sincere respect for the science and art of swim-ming, in which, next to God, then rested all myhope and trust. But before we talk about fighting an under-towin a wicked sea-way, let us discuss the principlesand methods of swimming. To drown in ariver, with the shore only a few yards away, whenany dog or donkey would reach the land, mustinvolve a feeling of personal humiliation as wellas despair. To be self-trustworthy is the firstthing in moments of danger ; but the art of swim-ming has a high value in the saving of otherlives, and is, besides, a luxury and accomplishmentworth the having, for the mere fun of the our civilization, swimming is an acquired ac-complishment. It is understood to be a naturalfunction with nearly all kinds of animals, hogs andhumanity being the leading exceptions. The in- 6o8 S W I M MING. [Jul-, ability to swim is in all cases a defect of educa-tion. If we do not know already, let us learn THE PROPEK POSITION. / To an expert swimmer, sinking is impossible, ex-cept from cramp or exhaustion. The weight of ahuman body is just about that of the water it dis-places ; but the body weight is unevenly distributed,the lungs being the bladder and the head the sinker,—so that the first rule in swimming is to keep thehead well back on the shoulders, where it will restimmediately above the lungs. But before this, thebeginner should observe a few rules of safety. Get accustomed to the shock of water. Wadeslowly into a smooth shallow place, turn and facetoward the shore, duck under in water deep enoughto cover the body, get your head wet, holdyour breath when under, snort as you cometo the air again, resisting the inclination tobreathe in first; and then, in a depth of afoot or two, lie down, face downward, andtouch the tips of your fingers on the bed ofthe stream. You will find that a very slightlift, hardly two ounces, will keep your headafloat, but not your
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Keywords: ., bookauthordodgemar, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1873
